River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-07-28
THE DERNIsH's FLIGHT.

The day was a sacred one at Con-
-tautfucpIe Il was the festival Of the
IIe-fra and every available mosque was
crowded with the PROSTATE forms Of the
faithful.
\ terrific storm ragged over the city.
At each lightning flash hethunder roll
"a through the vault Of heaven rs if to
announce the Day If Doom. The rain
poured down in torrents and the wind
swept in violent. iitful gusts beneath
the porches and into the very aisIes of
the holy places where the worshippers
Were assembled.
While the tempest was at its height a
man Of tall. commanding stature. with
a long white beard which reached down
below his girdIe. might have been seen
making the best Of his way through the
narrow streets that extend towards the
outskirts Of CaIata. as if intent on reach
ing some unknown. Invisible goal This
weird individual. whose age it would
have been difficult to decipher on his
haggapl and wrinkled comtensnce,
was evidently sinking with fatigue
Alone an iron viii or perchance someeN-
trqordiuary mission could have upheld
him in his toil~orle journeying. for at
each step he sank into the mud Of the
streets if old STEAMBOAT ami the blood
from his swollen feet stained the thick.
heavy sandals which the wavfarer wore.
He stopped occasionally to east a
look Of deep anguish towards heaven
and murmured In his misery.
20 God, vhen wilt thou give me
rc,t?''
But the blast alone made answer to-
his PRAYER AMI mysterious voice from
the thUuder-ClOuds overhead seemed 10
mUtter. "Ou. on on while the light
ming Hash like a threatening finger,
pointed "a the maze Of streets i'm town.
or. beyond these. To the dismal horizon.
This man. 30 wretched and Sorely
tried. was Ahasverus the jew. who. IN
wears LONG since dead. had struck our
Lord Christ. driving him with con-
tumcly from tie door when. faint with
sorrow and suffering and exhausted by
the weight of the cross. the latter be
sought the C0warlly rutfian 10 let him
rest for i moment on the step of his
house I'D Jerusalem. From that day
forward. cursed by God and man,
Aha-yerus. whose doom it is still to
walk the earth under the burden Of a
life that viii not end and must know
no rest. sailed forth from hi, home.
and. leaving his wife ari children, has
wandered aimIesslv from land TO land
for uiyh two thousand wears.
Suddenly, the storm grew TO tre-
meudou- hurricane, such rs MOslems
had never seen even at Constantinople,
where the winds blow from every point
Of the Bo-phorI~, and hail fell in such
masses IL almost to turn dav into night.
The LARGE icy humps fen 50 thick and
fast on the bare heId of the wanderer
that. having reached the outskirts of
Kassim. lie sought refuge in the newly
erected mosque Of the Sultana Nalide.
called Yeni-Diama, with lis lovely min
aretS and columns brought from the
ruins of ancient Troy.
Entering the front hall where good
MuSlem- east of their shoes. Ahasverus
left his dirty hlood-stained sandals
amouyas rare i collection of vaTiegated
font-ear IL it had ever been his cob
bIer'- privilege To come across At Jeru-
salem Ii WAS no mere sentiment OF
curiosity that impelled the dauntlcsS
Hebrew thus To penetrate within the
sanctuary. His sole object was To res.
his burning brow against one Of the
marble pillars from Troy. Soon rs he
found himself within the temple. his
duh eve grew dizzy al the sight of flash
inc lamps. and a sense of awe came over
him rs H. viewed the closing scene of
the great MohammedaL ceremony,
through the cloud Of incense which
arose from golden censers, thuribles
and tripods lie had no sooner lower
eel his gaze on the host of worshipers
before him. in the vain hope Of dis
covering perhaps a human being a
wrrtched as himself. than the voice
with the same pitiless injunction fell in-
eNorabIy ON his ear;
Ion, or. on.
He staggered forward to obey. just
u- the crowd Of MoSlems rose 10 leave
the sacred building. They all made
for THE doorway 80 effectively that Alas
verlt- was pushed Il the wall and UNI
able II reach the shall Of shoes" until
well NIGH everyone had got out before
him. When he did manage TO quit the
sanctuary he sought for his undiscovered,
DIuod->taiued sandals They We're gone
First his eye >guinted awfully round
the place. then It twiukled with delight
ON beholding tail pair Of boots. sump-
tuously lined with some soft material.
which. like Castor and POlluN. uprOse
in drearv. dual grandeur in corner
If the hail. lie slipped them on and
made Cd. Never before. throughout
his checkered career. had he met with
such a comfortable pair OF boots. They
were large and well-furred throughout
A. soon a he reached the doorway, two
eunuchs eaugh hold Of him by the arm:
aud legs. aud carefully lifted hin
into well-Stutied. sweetly-Scented. silk
lined and COSY sedan chair, which a
once conveyed IL precious burden 10
wards the beautiful quarter Of Galata
az the suburbs Of COnstantinople-
The storm had blown over, and tn
sun came out again. full of serene glO
ry-
An hour after Ahasverus found him
self before a well-dressed table insid
an elegant villa. with three lowell
creatures who ministered 10 his want
and formed his harem. The tabl
literally gave way beneath the load q
fruit and cakes and viands which
bore
On arriving At the villa the eunueh
had plum yed Ahasyerus into delight